Group: Save Eastern Lake Walton on tap to restore coastal dune lake By HEATHER CIVIL [email]heatherc@nwfdailynews.com[/email] SEAGROVE BEACH ? Walton County is taking steps to restore Eastern Lake, but the effort cannot happen soon enough for some. Members of the Eastern Lake Neighborhood Association want to make sure the county is doing all it can to help save the rare coastal dune lake. The group has sent a petition to the county with about 300 signatures on it from residents and property owners who say the lake needs human intervention to restore water quality and preserve the lake?s aquatic life. The lake is facing two problems. One is overgrowth of ditch weed in the water, which scientists say is a result of the ongoing drought. The other is the partly man-made problem of sand buildup. ?The lake?s been stopped up for two years,? said ELNA member Bill Mancil. Sand trouble Eastern Lake is one of 11 coastal dune lakes that are found almost exclusively in South Walton County. The lakes periodically open to the Gulf of Mexico, creating an estuary that mixes salt water with fresh water, resulting in a unique aquatic environment. Eastern Lake has historically opened to the gulf when the water level in the lake reaches a high-enough point. But sand blown into to the lake during Hurricane Dennis has blocked the lake from outflowing as it should. ****Some of the sand now piled up on the bottom of the lake was just beach sand. Some of the sand was put on the beach by Dallas-based property owner Worth Williams, who wanted to create larger sand dunes next to his property. ****Mancil said Eastern Lake has not opened naturally to the gulf since the hurricane. ****?I?m not sure we?ll live long enough for that sand to be pushed (out naturally),? he said. ****Mancil and other ELNA members concerned for the health of Eastern Lake have been pressuring the county to remove the excess sand. ****The county plans to dredge the sand from the lake. ****However, whether the work gets done hinges on several property owners who live adjacent to the lake. ****Before the county can get a state Department of Environmental Protection permit to dredge Eastern Lake, the county must get permission from the owners to use portions of their property for the project. ****Officials are discussing the matter with the property owners, but it is unclear how long it could take to get their permission. ****In the meantime, the county is seeking an emergency permit from the DEP to use equipment to dig out the outfall and help Eastern Lake flow into the gulf. There is no timeframe for that yet. ****Water weeds ****Mancil and others believe the sand in Eastern Lake is contributing to an overgrowth of ditch weed. ****The plant matter can be seen carpeting the lake just beneath the water?s surface. ****But scientists are not convinced the sand is the root of the weed problem. ****As of yet, there has been no direct evidence that the excess sand in Eastern Lake has caused any permanent damage to the water or its aquatic life, said Julie Terrell, biologist with the Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance. ****Studies to determine the overall health of the lake are under way. ****The CBA, the DEP and the University of Florida are gathering data that will reveal how Eastern Lake has functioned historically, but that information is not yet available, Terrell said. ****?I don?t have clear data on that,? she said. ****The plant overgrowth likely stems from a lack of rain, and not from the buildup of sand, Terrell said. ****The water in Eastern Lake is normally a brownish-black color resulting from tannic acids that are washed into the lake from surrounding plant life. ****The lack of rain for the past several months means the acids are not washing into the lake. During the past several months of drought, the lake water has cleared, Terrell said. ****Clearer water allows the sunlight to penetrate deeper into the water. The weeds are thriving off the extra light, Terrell said. ****?We?ve had very clear water, which is, in my scientific opinion, what?s contributed to the plant growth there,? Terrell said. ****That situation can be resolved only when rain starts coming again, she said. ****The weeds should die off, and the lake will recover once there?s enough rain, she said. ****?We?ve got a lot more sunlight entering that system (than usual),? she said. Daily News Staff Writer Heather Civil can be reached at 267-8300. ****Photos by DEBI HAUSSERMANN | Daily News Thick grass covers the bottom of Eastern Lake, leaving some area residents worried that it is taking over and leaving no room for the lake?s marine life. At top, kayakers head toward Eastern Lake in the man-made outflow in Seagrove Beach. Eastern Lake?s ecosystem is suffering after a man-made sand dune washed into the natural outflow after Hurricane Dennis. ****DEBI HAUSSERMANN | Daily News Bill Mancil talks about the importance of bringing back the ecosystem of Eastern Lake. Area residents say the lake has been ailing since the natural outflow was filled with sand made from a man-made dune after Hurricane Dennis. * Article View
